Every Style Under The Sun In Central Florida Market

September 28, 1986|By Joe Kilsheimer of the Sentinel Staff

In true Central Florida vernacular, there is a ''world'' of places to live. You can choose from lakefront, oceanfront or riverfront. There's downtown highrise condos, two-story, suburban split-levels, or sprawling ranch-style houses nestled among piney woods.

There is a plethora of golf-course developments, with price tags oriented toward wealthy, high-powered executives; young professionals just starting out; or retirees on a fixed income.

In other words, pick any lifestyle you want. Somewhere in Central Florida, there's a development to fit your price range.

BEACH-AREA CONDOS

One area popular with Central Florida residents in New Smyrna Beach, about 40 miles northeast of Orlando. Nearly 70 percent of the condos purchased there is recent years have been bought by Central Florida residents, said Peter Donahue, a condominium marketing consultant based in Orlando.

On the oceanfront in New Smyrna, there are 45 condominium projects with a total of 3,092 units, Donahue said. Of those 45, four were built in the last 18 months and currently have new units for sale.

-- At the north end of the beach is The Inlet. Prices range from $96,500 for a one-bedroom unit to $297,500 for a three-bedroom unit.

-- South of The Inlet is the 53-unit Ebbtide condominium. Two-bedroom units start at $185,000 and three-bedroom units go for $265,000.

-- The southernmost condo with new units is Seascape Towers, where prices start at $116,000, Donahue said.

There is always a healthy supply of condos for resale, Donahue said. Average sales price in 1986 has been $72,500.

If New Smyrna's oceanfront prices seem too steep, think about complexes situated between State Road A1A and the Indian River. At one such property, the Sun Beach Club, prices range from $59,000 for a two-bedroom, two-bath unit to $80,900 for a unit with three bedrooms and two baths.

Farther south along the coast in Brevard County is a mixture of housing options.

-- Sunrise Landing in Port St. Johns is priced for first-time home buyers with units ranging from $52,900 to $63,900.

-- Lake in the Woods, in Palm Bay, offers both townhomes and single- family patio homes, priced from $36,900 to $68,900.

Vacation home offerings include:

-- Sandcastles condominium in Cocoa Beach, where prices range between $90,000 and $99,000.

-- South Melbourne Beach's Aquarina condominium, where units sell for between $135,000 and $245,000.

LAKEFRONT SERENITY

Lakefront development is a precious commodity in Central Florida. The spectacular views it affords almost always put a premium on the price of a lakefront home.

On the high side, one 2.7-acre lot in Bentley Park, an exclusive subdivision on Lake Tibet-Butler, was sold in 1985 for $1 million.

But most of Central Florida's lakefront land can be had for much less, according to Howard Babcock, a veteran Central Florida real estate broker.

Among the more popular lakefront areas are:

-- Rose Isle, located north of Orlando off Mills Avenue. Houses around lakes Rowena, Sue, Estelle and Winyah, are generally priced at more than $150,000, Babcock said.

-- Around the Conway chain of lakes in south Orange County. Prices range from $125,000 to $175,000.

-- Around Maitland's Lake Sybelia. Prices range from $100,000 to $125,000. Those same kinds of prices can be found in the Bear Lake area, west of Forest City, Babcock said.

In Lake County, lakefront land is plentiful. In developments such as Squirrel Point and Elyssium, which border scenic Lake Dora, vacant lakefront lots sell for between $60,000 and $115,000. On the smaller lakes, such as Beauclair, a half-acre lakefront lot goes for around $50,000 and up, said John Matsche, developer of the Lake Beauclaire subdivision.

GOLF & TENNIS DEVELOPMENTS

Upper price range golf-and-tennis developments include:

-- Bay Hill near Orlando, home to golfer Arnold Palmer and pro golf's current earnings leader, Greg Norman. Located in southwest Orange County, Bay Hill is about 16 years old and has about 500 houses, according to a spokeswoman for Bay Hill Realty. Houses currently on the market there range from about $175,000 to $600,000.

-- Bay Hill Village, an exclusive community of single-family luxury houses adjacent to Bay Hill, has homes priced from about $200,000. Access is controlled by two electronic security gates, which can be opened by a device similar to a garage door opener, or by punching in a code on the gate's keyboard.

-- Heathrow, a two-year-old development near Lake Mary, north of Orlando. Developed by millionaire Jeno Paulucci, Heathrow has an exclusive estate-home neighborhood where prices range from about $400,000 to more than $1 million.

Heathrow has other options at lesser prices. The Hamptons at Heathrow, a condominium project, sell for between $129,900 and $175,900.